Santa Barbara Weekend Getaway: 3-Day Itinerary
Published Nov. 2019 | Updated Feb. 2025
Spending a weekend in Santa Barbara is one of the best ways to enjoy the California coast. Santa Barbara has a warm climate, an abundance of delicious restaurants, and absolutely stunning beaches.
Between a morning at the harbor, an afternoon exploring local gardens, or a sunset at the beach, it’s easy to have an idyllic weekend getaway in Santa Barbara. There are endless things to do on a sunny weekend in the American Riviera!
Although I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara is my second home. My dad and his side of the family are from here and I’ve spent my life visiting them and enjoying this part of the state.
I moved to Santa Barbara for college and now go back at least a few times each year, sometimes for weeks at a time. It’s the place I know best and my favorite place to spend a weekend!
Between years of living here and visiting often my whole life, it’s safe to say I’ve spent quite a few weekends in Santa Barbara!
If you’re looking for the perfect three days in Santa Barbara with the best things to see, eat, and do from a local, you’ve found the right place!
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Santa Barbara Weekend Itinerary
Now, this is a 3-day Santa Barbara weekend itinerary as I assume you will arrive on a Friday and spend two nights here. If you aren’t arriving until Saturday, you can skip to day two!
If you’re just visiting for a day trip, I’ve got another itinerary for that!
Day 1: Friday in Santa Barbara
Friday is a perfect day to explore Santa Barbara since there are typically fewer crowds. Assuming you’ll arrive on Friday and be ready to eat, start with lunch, pack in some activities during the day, grab dinner, and have a fun Friday night out downtown.
Get Lunch at Shoreline Beach Cafe
Have you ever been to a restaurant where you could take off your shoes and dig your toes into the sand while you eat? If you ask for outdoor seating here, you can do exactly that at Shoreline Beach Cafe!
Every table—inside and outside—has a beach view because this restaurant is situated directly on the sand. It sits just across the street from Santa Barbara City College and even has a walk-up window if you want to get your food to go!
I like to get an order of fries here and watch the sunset on the beach.
Walk Through the Harbor
From Shoreline Cafe you can walk right down the street to the harbor where you’ll find the Maritime Museum, boats of all kinds, and more restaurants.
Take a nice post-meal walk through the harbor and down to Point Castillo for incredible ocean and harbor views.
If you fancy an after-meal coffee or iced drink, visit Dart Coffee Co. next to the Maritime museum!
Watch Sunset at Butterfly Beach
Butterfly Beach is arguably the most beautiful beach in Santa Barbara County. The beach stretches far down the coast, so there are plenty of spots for beachgoers who want some space on the beach.
Along the bluffs above Butterfly Beach is a short, but lovely, walking/biking trail with views of both the beach and Montecito estates (Ty Warner’s house being one of them!).
What to Bring: swimsuit | Turkish towel | beach bag
Get Dinner in the Funk Zone
After a day of exploring the coast and hanging out at the beach in Montecito, you’ll likely want to head back to your hotel to freshen up before heading out to dinner.
You have a few options for dinner in the Funk Zone:
Brewery Hop
Santa Barbara has a cool microbrewery scene in addition to the wine bars!
Some of the more popular breweries are in the Funk Zone: Figueroa Mountain Brewery, Topa Topa Brewery, Lama Dog, and Rincon, but there are many more!
Plan a route and hop from brewery to brewery downtown to close out your Friday night before a full itinerary the next day.
I recommend starting at Figueroa Mountain in the heart of the Funk Zone. From there, you can head to Topa Topa, jump next door to Lama Dog, and walk down the street to Rincon.
Day 2: Saturday in Santa Barbara
Saturday is when Santa Barbara is at its liveliest! People are out and about enjoying the sunshine, having brunch, adventuring in the mountains, going out to nice dinners, and appreciating the arts and culture downtown.
Exploring Santa Barbara on a sunny Saturday is the perfect way to spend a day in California!
Enjoy Coffee & Brunch at Dart Coffee Co.
Dart Coffee Co. is my favorite coffee shop in Santa Barbara. Their original location in the Funk Zone has a large, beautiful coffee garden across the street from the shop where you can enjoy your coffee/tea and food.
I’m not a coffee drinker so I usually get their chai latte, but can confirm the coffee is amazing too! If you’re hungry, the empanadas are delicious. They also have breakfast burritos which are more filling for a day of activities.
They opened a second location in 2024 at the harbor where you can enjoy coffee with views of all the boats. There is a small, living room-like area inside, but the outdoor seating is the best!
Get Fresh Produce at the Farmer’s Market
Located in downtown Santa Barbara, the Saturday farmer’s market (located at 00 East and 00 West Blocks of Carrillo Street and the 900-1000 blocks of State Street) has everything from fruits and veggies to locally made hummus and honeycomb.
It’s a really lovely little market with happy, nice vendors. Despite being a smaller market, they have a huge variety of items. Don’t miss the mushroom stand if you’re a fungi fan!
Tour Ganna Walska Lotusland
While this was once a private estate owned by Madame Ganna Walska, it is now open to the public for tours. There are hundreds of different plants and multiple gardens – the cactus garden is my favorite!
You can either choose a self-guided tour or a docent-led tour. Either way, you are limited to two hours. Tours happen twice a day from spring through fall, and the gardens are completely closed to visitors in winter.
Have a Fancy Burger at Mesa Burger
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Barbara! We go to the location in Goleta at least twice a week whenever we’re here—often more. Mesa Burger was founded by Cat Cora, who is a Santa Barbara local and an Iron Chef.
Burgers are my meal of choice, and veggie burgers are typically a hit or miss. The Montecito Burger with a vegan patty is a hit for me (onion rings, feta, arugula, truffle aioli—yum)!
They take burgers and fries and elevate them to a delicious, quality meal. Their Santa Barbara location has nice indoor and outdoor seating, as does the Goleta location.
See Dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History looks small and unassuming from the front, but once you enter it extends far beyond the front facade.
Hop from room to room to discover wooly mammoth skeletons; preserved birds, mammals, and insects; gemstones; and Native American history. They also have a planetarium and host shows multiple times per day.
During summer, you can go into the butterfly garden outside with hundreds of butterflies fluttering around. One of the most unique features of this museum is the Prehistoric Park with giant animatronic dinosaurs!
It’s a fun place to take kids, but as a child-free cat lady, I love visiting on my own!
Smell Roses at Old Mission Santa Barbara
Old Mission Santa Barbara is known as the “Queen of Missions.” It’s truly the best mission in all of California! From the grand pink exterior to the thriving rose garden, it’s easy to see why this one was dubbed the “Queen.”
You can take a tour inside the mission for a fee or walk around the front lawn, rose garden, and olive orchards for free. The facade is iconic and a perfect spot for photos.
You can also have a charming picnic on the lawn between the mission and the rose garden (check out Santa Barbara Picnic Company to book a styled picnic!).
The mission is right next to the Museum of Natural History, so it’s easy to walk or drive here after your museum visit.
Eat Fish Tacos at Corazon Cocina
Public Market isn’t just one restaurant, but many under one roof! This place has a little something for everyone.
They have a sports bar at the front and many other restaurants throughout.
Cocina Corazon at Public Market has the best fish tacos! I also love their hibiscus tea. They’re by far the most popular spot in Public Market, so expect a line and a wait. Or, place your order ahead of time and pick it up!
Catch a Show at a Local Theatre
Santa Barbara is a great place to be if you’re looking for a show!
Visit the Arlington Theatre to see performing arts or catch a celebrity award ceremony during the annual Santa Barbara Film Festival (I’ve seen Johnny Depp and Jennifer Lawrence receive awards here!). This is right next to Public Market so you can walk here before or after dinner.
Snag tickets to a concert or a standup show at the incredible Santa Barbara Bowl venue.
Watch a theatrical or musical performance at the historic Granada Theatre.
Day 3: Sunday in Santa Barbara
Sundays are a day of leisure in Santa Barbara. You can sleep in and start your day late with some brunch, explore art and local gardens, and enjoy the rest of the day near the ocean.
Have Brunch at Lilac Pâtisserie
You can find Lilac Patisserie on State Street near the Santa Barbara Art Museum. They are a fully gluten-free restaurant! Their quiche is incredible and the blueberry tart is delicious.
They also have many bakery items, including cakes, tarts, pies, and muffins. What they have available depends on the day, and they don’t always have every bakery item on their menu.
Lilac Patisserie was voted one of the top 10 best gluten-free bakeries by USA Today in 2018, yet you would never even know they were gluten-free because of how incredible everything tastes — no weird, crumbly pastry here.
See Monet's Paintings at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art
The art museum is on State Street, just across from Lilac Patisserie, with a wide staircase leading to the front. The first time I visited I couldn’t believe how many amazing artworks they have!
You’ll find paintings by Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Rembrandt, Salvador Dalí, and John Singer Sargent – just to name a few you might know.
This museum was spectacularly renovated in 2021 after six years of work and $50 million dollars. The grand entrance has a large statue in the center of a pewter blue room with massive framed artwork hanging on the walls.
I visit art museums often wherever I go, and while this one is smaller, it’s absolutely worth a visit!
TIP: Bring your student or military ID for a discount!
Explore the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
A bit further away from the hustle and bustle of downtown you’ll find the botanic garden. It’s filled with native Californian plants, including a redwood forest, cactus garden, and Japanese tea garden!
It’s the perfect place to spend a few hours strolling around. There is even a whole area called “back county” that has different areas with outdoorsy activities for kids (although I still enjoyed it as an adult!).
There are over 5.5 miles of trails throughout the botanic garden if you’re up for a walk — wear some good trail shoes. Don’t forget to walk across the street to visit the other side of the garden where you can get aerial views of Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean.
Have Lunch at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company
After you check out the museum and work up an appetite at the botanic garden, walk to the end of Stearns Wharf for lunch at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company!
As expected, their menu is filled with fresh seafood plates – including multiple fish (shrimp and crab) cocktails and lobster tacos. You’ll also get some of the best ocean views from here!
TIP: You can drive right onto Stearns Wharf, but parking is limited. I recommend parking in the parking lot down the street and walking if it’s crowded.
Walk Around Stearns Wharf
After lunch, you can visit the Santa Barbara Sea Center, explore the shops, watch the fisherman bring in the fresh catch of the day, take a photo with a ship’s helm, and/or get some ice cream while you admire the ocean views.
If you walk to the middle of the pier on the left-hand side (when facing the end of the pier), turn around and look at the Santa Barbara coast. This is my favorite view of Santa Barbara since you can see the ocean, white Spanish-style buildings, and a line of palm trees.
Every Sunday year-round, you can find booths of local artists and crafters lined up on Cabrillo Blvd. right next to Stearns Wharf for the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show from 10am to 6pm.
TIP: Stearns Wharf is one of the best spots to watch sunset in Santa Barbara! Especially in the winter when Santa Barbara gets the most cotton-candy-colored sunsets.
Get Funky in the Funk Zone
The Funk Zone is an eclectic area of Santa Barbara just inland from Stearns Wharf. It has colorful murals, wine-tasting rooms, breweries, coffee shops, and a vibrant art scene.
This is a fun area to explore and get drinks before you grab dinner. Figueroa Brewing is a great spot to grab a beer if you want to check out the local brewery scene. Alternatively, get a tea or coffee from Dart Coffee Co. and walk around to find all the murals!
Have Dinner at Finney’s
Staying in the Funk Zone, grab dinner at Finney’s Crafthouse! They have a few locations throughout California and serve “globally-inspired” dishes, which include burgers, tacos, sandwiches, and much more.
They’re located on State Street at the ground level of Hotel Californian, a luxury hotel in the heart of the Funk Zone. This place is often full of both locals and tourists enjoying their delicious food!
If Finney’s is too crowded (they don’t take reservations), head over to Santa Barbara FisHouse for a slightly fancier dinner near the coast.
Take a Sunset Ocean Cruise
One of our favorite things to do for a special occasion is book tickets for a sunset cruise in the Santa Barbara harbor on the Double Dolphin. It’s a lovely 2-hour cruise around the harbor offered year-round with drinks and snacks for purchase onboard (you may not bring your own).
You depart from and arrive at the Sailing Center in the Santa Barbara Harbor
TIP: Wear layers! It can get chilly/windy on the water, even on hot days.
How to Get Around
If you stay in downtown Santa Barbara, most things are nearby — either within walking distance or a short drive away. I highly recommend renting a car so you can explore all that Santa Barbara has to offer!
Uber and Lyft both operate in Santa Barbara if you want to get around without a rental car. Keep in mind that they typically have surge pricing on weekends, especially on holidays and in the late evening.
There are also bikes available to rent for biking around downtown or along the water! You will find them throughout downtown and can use an app to rent them or go to one of the bike stores in the Funk Zone to rent bikes for the day.
Where to Stay
Best Overall: Hotel Californian
Best Luxury: Palihouse Santa Barbara
Best Beachfront: Santa Barbara Inn
Best Budget: Inn by the Harbor
Best Boutique: Riviera Beach House
Read my full guide about where to stay in Santa Barbara to learn more about the best areas and hotels!
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